We all have our favourites and when Christmas comes around, this is a film that I just love to see again.

The Holly and the Ivy released in 1952

It is actually from a stage play of the same name written by Wynyard Browne and one that had had a West End run in London at the time.

I have not seen that it is being shown this Christmas which is a disappointment – to me anyway

Home for Christmas – and a view from the Vicarage Window of the Church

Ralph Richardson is the Vicar of Wyndenham – a small village in Norfolk – who has lost his wife and so, as Christmas arrives, he plans host to his grown up family – his children and other relatives

The Vicar’s eldest daughter, Jenny (played by Celia Johnson), lives with him at the Vicarage since his wife – and her mother’s death and has cared for him. Jenny wants to marry her sweetheart, David Paterson (played by John Gregson), but she can’t leave her father alone. David is an engineer and will leave in a month for a five-year job in South America. Will she – can she – leave her father behind and go with him ?

Margaret Leighton plays the youngest daughter, Margaret. She works in the fashion industry in London and seems to have a busy nightlife. Her situation and her life gradually are revealed during the family gathering – it is indeed a tragic story that hits us, the audience right between the eyes

Denholm Elliott plays the Vicar’s son, Michael. He is serving a year in the Army. His father expects him to go to Cambridge, but Michael has no desire to. He plays out a wonderful scene with his father when they both stand around the Christmas tree and really talk to one another – the film Director cleverly uses the tree as a sort of hide-out for Michael from his feelings as their conversation deepens. I have never seen this done before or since.

Aunts Lydia and Gretchen have backgrounds that add meat to the story. And, cousin Richard Wyndham is an always present member of family gatherings.

All aspects of this film are superb. The screenplay, direction, technical production and acting all contribute to making this a wonderful drama about life – and, it is a most fitting story of family love for Christmas.

The Opening sequences of the film as one member of the family drives home to the Vicarage at Wyndenham

and now to another much more well known Christmas Film :-

It’s a Wonderful Life

While she famously starred in It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) at the age of six, Karolyn Grimes didn’t watch the Christmas classic until 1980.

And it wasn’t until a decade after that when the actress realised the impact the film has had on viewers

How we could do with Frank Tyson now as England struggle against the Aussies in the Adelaide Test at Adelaide – and the previous ones too. Probably not the best day to publish this article – the day we lost The Ashes

In that one series in 1954 in Australia Frank Tyson produced astonishing performances with bowling at speeds not seen before or since

Don Bradman and Richie Benaud who between them watched virtually every bowler from before the War up to modern times, when they were asked ‘ Who is the fastest bowler you ever saw ?’ – without hesitation they each replied ‘Frank Tyson’

This might seem to have nothing to do with films of the 50’s era – but is does. A film was made at the time called ‘Typhoon Tyson’s Test Match’ which is detailed on imd

JM Kilburn, famed correspondent of the Yorkshire Post, on Tyson. “His best pace was nothing short of startling to batsmen and spectators alike. He represented an elemental force obscuring the details of his technique and the highest tribute he received was the gasp of incredulity frequently emitted by the crowd as the ball passed from his hand to the distant wicketkeeper.”

Don Bradman called him “the fastest bowler I have ever seen” while Tom Graveney recounts how he stood 40 yards back at slip

It was at Melbourne, during the third Test of the 54-55 series, that the name of “Typhoon”became legend when in the second innings his spell of six for 16 from 6.3 eight-ball overs, and seven for 27 in all, brought a win that had looked unlikely.

This short film re-lives some of those moments of a cricketer forgotten in the modern era – not by me !!

Cheyenne (1955-62) went out on ITV as I recall it and was very popular in England

Clint Walker plays Cheyenne Bodie, a cowboy/scout who each week, rides into a new adventure with new characters. The plots are very much in line with what the B Westerns had been.

Indeed Warner Bros. put their major-studio might behind this TV production, and it shows. Cheyenne fits right in with what Warners were doing with Western films at that time

As we slowly learn as the episodes go on, Cheyenne has been raised by the Cheyenne Indians after his parents were killed by another tribe. Later in the series he lived with a white family. He’s a thoroughly decent type and seems always ready to help those in need.

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Cheyenne was a hit and it made Clint Walker a star. With a hit show, the exacting schedule that came with it, no features on the horizon, and an exclusive contract that paid him just $150 a week, after the third season, Walker was unhappy.

Clint Walker: “… I found out they [Warner Bros.] turned down some pretty nice features that I could’ve done… I heard that when people inquired, they were told, ‘When Clint Walker does features, he’ll do ‘em for Warner Bros.’ So that’s where we had the difference of opinion.” *

So, Clint Walker walked away from the role Bronco Layne (Ty Hardin) filled in briefly and kept going until Walker was coaxed back. Clint’s stance must have worked because Warners put him in the excellent Fort Dobbs (1958) and a little later the excellent ‘Yellowstone Kelly’.

Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne got his own series for a while – again one we saw in England –  Bronco.

‘Cheyenne’ is an excellent TV series, a consistent favourite of Western fans — and for good reason.

My own favourite Clint Walker film is ‘Night of the Grizzly’ where the tension is built up until the final confrontation with the grizzly – very well done too.

This was Clint Walker’s own personal favourite of the films that he was in

BELOW :  Some Great Scenes from the final thrilling climatic confrontation – they don’t do it justice though

The Court Jester (1955).

The Court Jester (1955)

In terms to colourful, upbeat musicals look no further than the 1955 medieval comedy, The Court Jester, starring Danny Kaye as a carnival entertainer turned resistance fighter against a murderous, usurping king. This silly, charming picture is a star-studded affair featuring one of Kaye’s most memorable performances, and it’s a perfect choice for family viewing with its lively musical numbers and infectiously quotable lines.

Written and directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, The Court Jester packs in a mind-boggling number of memorable stars, which makes it required viewing for anybody interested in classic movies. We get Kaye, of course, topping the bill, but his two leading ladies are Glynis Johns and Angela Lansbury,

Basil Rathbone heads up the villains’ side as the scheming Sir Ravenhurst, a role that echoes his performance as Sir Guy in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Other instantly recogniseable stars include Mildred Natwick as the mesmerist lady in waiting Griselda and John Carradine in a brief but notable appearance as the real Giacomo. Michael Pate, Alan Napier, Cecil Parker, Robert

The story draws heavily from familiar swashbucklers, a relationship underlined by Basil Rathbone’s presence in the picture. Kaye’s character, Hubert Hawkins, has joined up with a band of fighters who live in the forest under the leadership of the Black Fox (Edward Ashley), a hero of the Robin Hood stamp whose name and mask also recall Zorro. The rightful heir to the throne is a baby with a distinctive purple pimpernel birthmark on his posterior, a nod to the Scarlet Pimpernel and his calling card.

Instead of Robin Hood’s archery contest, Hawkins enters a more traditional tournament against Sir Griswold, creating a comical version of the climactic tournament fought by Ivanhoe. Rathbone, of course, had played the heavy in both The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro (1940), which makes Hawkins’ final duel with Sir Ravenhurst as inevitable as it is fun to watch.

In this adventure, Hawkins is an unlikely hero, having spent most of his time with the outlaws entertaining the men and taking care of the royal infant. He gets a chance to prove himself when he and Maid Jean (Glynis Johns) encounter a famous jester, Giacomo (John Carradine), en route to the king’s palace. Hawkins impersonates Giacomo and appears at court, not knowing that Sir Ravenhurst has actually summoned Giacomo because the jester is also a skilled assassin. Hawkins quickly gets out of his depth, especially when Princess Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury) decides to be in love with him and orders her hypnotist attendant to ensure his success. Hawkins ends up having to fight a rival knight for Gwendolyn’s hand while trying to save the royal baby and restore order to the kingdom, and along the way, he manages to perform a number of songs and sight gags that keep the peril from being taken too seriously.